Free Mail Order Bride: Westward Dance by Linda Bridey Page A

as she stood in a beautiful, rustic house in Montana. It
had started with that first letter Seth sent. That letter was the
beginning of Maddie’s healing process and though she had a ways to
go, at least she wasn’t still lying in bed buried under the
covers.
    She owed Seth a debt of gratitude and
intended to repay it somehow. As these deep emotions moved through
her, tears came into Maddie’s eyes. She moved closer to Seth and
held out a hand. Seth looked up at her with a quizzical expression.
Their eyes met then and she gave him a small nod and a smile and he
understood. Sometimes saying thanks was hard, especially when so
many feelings were attached.
    Seth took her hand and shook it as he
gave her a smile and a nod back. Her skin was smooth and warm in
his large hand. It had been a while since he’d felt a woman’s
touch, but it was Maddie that ignited a hunger that hit him out of
nowhere. Before he knew what he was doing, Seth brought her hand to
his mouth and pressed his lips against the back of it.
    Maddie gave a small involuntary gasp of
surprise. She hadn’t been expecting that gallant gesture from Seth
and she had never been as affected by a man kissing her hand as she
was by Seth’s kiss. His lips were surprisingly soft and his touch
was gentle. Then he pulled back and released her hand.
    “Goodnight, Maddie. Sleep well,” Seth
said.
    Maddie looked into Seth’s eyes and saw
the same storm of emotions mirrored in them. It scared her and she
stepped back. She gave him a brief smile. “Goodnight,” she said and
left the room.

Chapter Eight
     
     
    “I want to go outside,” Seth said to
Dean the next morning. “I’m tired of being inside. Bring over one
of my chairs from my bunkhouse and put it on the flat part of the
yard under the oak tree.” He remembered Marcus’ admonishment from
the previous day about asking nicely and said, “Please?”
    Dean blinked once or twice. Seth must
want to go outside very badly if he was being polite. He usually
barked orders, which Marcus tended to obey and Dean usually ignored
or responded to with a sarcastic remark. That dynamic had been
started when they were kids. Seth and Dean had given the orders and
Marcus had grown up following them. They weren’t cruel but did
expect him to do what they said.
    As they grew older, Marcus figured out
that he had a different type of intellect than his siblings and
began to use it. He started pitting them against one another or
using his sharper sense of humor to make them forget what they’d
wanted him to do in the first place. It became apparent to Dean and
Seth that Marcus was better at scholarly pursuits than they
were.
    Their different personalities and
skills blended well and helped them to keep the ranch going. Over
the last year they were starting to turn real profits which they
intended to reinvest in their operation. The Holsteins were one
such investment.
    “All right. We can to that,” Dean
said.
    Geoffrey came into the parlor. “Top o’
the morning, lads,” he said. When he was in a good mood, Geoffrey
sometimes let his Irish brogue loose. When he’d first come to the
United States, it had been thick but he’d lost it some over the
years.
    Seth laughed. “Aye and a fine one it
‘tis.”
    Geoffrey smiled. “Not bad, not
bad.”
    “Thanks.”
    “So what are you doing?” Geoff
asked.
    “Moving this guy outside for some fresh
air. Might blow some of the stink off him,” Dean
answered.
    “I’ll help. Just tell me what you want
me to do,” Geoff offered.
    “All right. I’ll take you up on that
offer since Marcus isn’t here yet.” Dean frowned. “He was probably
up reading all night again and slept late.”
    “Don’t worry about him right now,” Seth
said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
    Geoff laughed. “Is he always this
cranky?”
    “Yup. Ok, Geoff, follow me, please,”
Dean said.
    “We’ll fix you up. Not to worry,” Geoff
told Seth and left with Dean.
    Tessa came in the